Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Series
  • People
  • Depts & Colleges
  • Open Education

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Series
  • People
  • Depts & Colleges
  • Open Education

The Will of the People? The History of Petitioning in Britain and Its Implications for Today

Series
Foundation for Law, Justice and Society
Audio Embed
Mark Knights, Professor of History, University of Warwick, gives a talk for the FLJS Seminar Series on 2nd May 2017.
Is there, as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Liz Truss has suggested, a 'settled will of the people'? If so, how is this best expressed: through a referendum, through Parliament, or through petitions?

We have recently seen enormous e-petitions about Brexit and Donald Trump's visit to the UK; but what is the history of petitioning in British political culture and how does the voice of the petitioner square with other forms of representation? What indeed, was the legal status of a petition, and how was this disputed?

In this lecture, Professor Mark Knights of the University of Warwick will assess how the will of the British people has been expressed through the device of petitioning throughout the ages, and draw lessons for the Britain of today.

More in this series

View Series
Foundation for Law, Justice and Society

Putney Debates 2017 - Session IV: Preserving the Liberal Constitution

The Putney Debates 2017 addresses the UK's constitutional future in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union.
Previous
Foundation for Law, Justice and Society

Free Speech: Ten Principles for a Connected World

In this keynote lecture, leading political writer Timothy Garton Ash will present his ten guiding principles for a connected world, and offer a manifesto for global free speech in the digital age.
Next

Episode Information

Series
Foundation for Law, Justice and Society
People
Mark Knights
Keywords
law
politics
Brexit
petitioning
democracy
Department: Centre for Socio-Legal Studies
Date Added: 15/05/2017
Duration: 00:39:22

Subscribe

Apple Podcast Video Apple Podcast Audio Audio RSS Feed

Download

Download Audio

Footer

  • About
  • Accessibility
  • Contribute
  • Copyright
  • Contact
  • Privacy
'Oxford Podcasts' Twitter Account @oxfordpodcasts | MediaPub Publishing Portal for Oxford Podcast Contributors | Upcoming Talks in Oxford | © 2011-2022 The University of Oxford